Food Physics Wageningen University

03/05/2025

Over the past two days, we’ve had the opportunity to experience both the industrial and research sides of yeast production.

On April 29, we visited Lallemand for an insightful plant tour, where we explored the large-scale yeast production process and gained a deeper understanding of how the industry operates beyond the lab.

On April 30, we visited Lallemand at National Research Council Canada to share our PhD research projects and learn more about their work in the food industry. It was inspiring to see how they focus on improving product quality, developing new applications, and driving innovation through continuous research. We also enjoyed a fascinating lab tour, where the team walked us through their process from collecting yeast strains to downstream processing.

To round off the day, we had the chance to try some delicious beers made with Lallemand yeasts, a great way to connect theory, process, and product all in one experience.

02/05/2025

Last Friday we visited the Saint-Hyacinthe Research and Development Centre, which is one of the twenty research and development centres of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/ Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, focusing on research. We briefly discussed our research, after we got an extensive tour of the facilities. Highlights of this tour were the impressive pilot plants, where the spectrum of activities covers and products, , and .

After a relaxing Sunday, we started the week with a visit at McGill University. Here the candidates and the Professors of the two universities had the chance to share their research during the presentation sessions, poster discussions and lunch discussions.
Finally, we visited the labs of the McGill University - Macdonald Campus. 🥼🧪

This was a great experience for new and insights for our group.

We want to thank the organizers and Stéphane Bayen of this nice program at University.

Next, we will visit Lallemand to get new insights into the industry.

02/05/2025

Our visit to the University of Guelph was filled with inspiring science and great hospitality!

Dr.Corradini and Dr.Jack Yang introduced us to the work of their research groups, sparking engaging discussions through presentations and posters. PhD students from both sides shared their recent work and reflected on their research journeys, with a lively exchange of ideas continuing over lunch and during a tour of the Guelph Food Innovation Centre (GFIC). The day wrapped up with refreshing drinks and a spirited pub quiz—thank you to Prof. Marangoni, and Dr. Corradini for the warm welcome!

We also explored a cutting-edge vertical farming company, Living Earth Farm where technology meets sustainable agriculture. From precision-controlled growth chambers to fully automated harvesting systems, it was fascinating to see how innovation is reshaping the future of food production.

24/04/2025

Today we had our first visit of our PhD trip in Canada and we went to the group of Dérrick Rousseau at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). After a warm welcome there were (pitch) presentations from both sides on various topics: from oleogels to Pickering emulsions and from directional freezing to nutrition studies. We connected further during lunch, poster presentations and a lab tour (including the Nutrition Discovery Lab of Nick Bellisimo!). Of course we could not finish our visit without some drinks and dinner. Thank you for having us!

Now we head off to Guelph for our next stop!

23/04/2025

Exciting beginnings!

We have officially started our PhD trip in Canada 🇨🇦 , and our first stop is the vibrant and diverse Toronto area. After some sightseeing and a Niagara Falls visit in the weekend we started our scientific program. We had discussions about the future of meat- and dairy analogues, the role of AI in food science and the future of alternative proteins.

Also our professor Elke Scholten elaborated about her career path and choices, followed by a Q&A. The group’s competitiveness and collaborative skills were tested in a Crazy 88!

Tomorrow we will visit Dérrick Rousseaus group at TMU!

26/02/2025

PhD student Senna Janssen staat in de finale van de Kanzi-appeltaartwedstrijd. Eerder won ze de Great WUR Bake Off en deed ze mee aan allerlei andere bakwedstrijden. Hoe maak je een winnende taart?
‘Veel proefbakken. Ik heb echt veel verschillende appeltaarten gemaakt. De meeste daarvan heb ik met collega’s gedeeld, want ik moet de baksels toch ergens kwijt. Elke volgende taart was beter dan de vorige.’
https://www.resource-online.nl/.../winner-great-wur.../...

PhD student Senna Janssen reached the finals of the Kanzi apple pie competition. Previously, she won the Great WUR Bake Off and participated in a variety of other baking competitions. How do you make a winning cake? ‘Through a lot of baking. I honestly made so many different apple pies. Most of which I shared with my colleagues. Each pie was better than the previous one.’ https://www.resource-online.nl/.../winnaar-heel-wur-bakt.../

06/10/2024

29/08/2024

🔬 Energizing FPH Retreat Week in Hapert! 🧠

Last week, our chair group —consisting of around 30 amazing individuals, including PhD students, supervisors, technicians & secretary—had the opportunity to step away from our usual routine for an incredible retreat in Hapert.

This retreat wasn’t just about getting out of the lab; it was about building stronger bonds and enhancing our . We had the privilege of working with the talented trainers from , who led us through insightful sessions that brought us closer together as a team.

**Highlights of the week included:**
- The exhilarating *Crazy-88* challenge in Eindhoven
- Unforgettable karaoke sessions
- Energizing Just Dance! sessions

By the end of the week, we all came away feeling and more connected. This retreat wasn’t just a break; it made us a stronger team, ready to take our science to new heights.
Here’s to better science through better teamwork! 🚀

Food Physics Wageningen University

15/02/2024

On Tuesday, January 30th, Parisa Rashtchi succesfully defended her PhD thesis "Exploring Lactiplantibacillus plantarum biofilm formation and the impact of biotic, environmental and physical factors". Her supervisors were Erik van der Linden, Tjakko Abee and Mehdi Habibi.
Congratulations Dr Rashtchi!

Picture: Sven Menschel, phddefencephoto.com

27/01/2024

On Tuesday, January 16th, Xiangyu Liu succesfully defended his PhD thesis "Fat replacing strategies for full-fat ice cream: Role of fat, polysaccharide structure and protein dispersibility". His supervisors were Elke Scholten and Guido Sala.

Congratulations Dr. Xiangyu!

26/10/2023

On October 14th, team “Scrambled Legs” of the FPH division laced up for the Veluweloop! It's a relay race of 12 stages, split equally for the gents and the ladies, and totalling a whooping 90 km. Despite the classic Dutch weather, our egg-cellent team trotted their way to finish 58th out of 102 teams! pretty good, eh? 🏅

Big shoutout to the Scrambled Legs (FPH) team!

17/10/2023

On Tuesday, September 26th, Gerard Giménez I Ribes succesfully defended his PhD thesis "From Disorder to Order: Shear rheology of macroscopically structured materials". His supervisors were Erik van der Linden and Mehdi Habibi.

Congratulations Dr Gerard!

Photo: Sven Menschel